{"id":56454,"date":"2025-11-22T06:35:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T06:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/56454\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T06:35:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T06:35:20","slug":"fc-cincinnati-inter-miami-brace-for-electric-playoff-matchup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/56454\/","title":{"rendered":"FC Cincinnati & Inter Miami brace for “electric” playoff matchup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even though the question touched on tender old scar tissue, FC Cincinnati<\/a> head coach Pat Noonan was a good sport about it.<\/p>\n

His team had just vanquished one ghost from the past by ousting the Columbus Crew<\/a> in Round One of the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, avenging a galling home loss to their Hell is Real rivals in the Eastern Conference Final two years ago.<\/p>\n

Now they would face Inter Miami CF<\/a>, the adversary that inflicted similar heartbreak on Cincy a couple of months earlier in that 2023 campaign, storming back from a 2-0 deficit to win an epic US Open Cup<\/a> semifinal duel on penalties after 120 minutes of riveting back-and-forth action had left the two sides deadlocked at 3-3.<\/p>\n

FCC marched to the Supporters\u2019 Shield that year, but those two setbacks denied them the chance for a historic treble. Did his team have a sense of unfinished business with the Herons, just as they did with Columbus?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really going back with these games of disappointment!\u201d Noonan deadpanned. \u201cWe were talking about it. \u2026 It’s going to be another tough challenge. And hopefully we can put a similar performance \u2013 if not better \u2013 together to move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Win or go home<\/p>\n

Noonan and his players know better than to poke the bear \u2013 or in this case, the GOAT \u2013 by talking too loudly about their thirst for revenge against Lionel Messi<\/a> & Co. when they visit TQL Stadium in Sunday’s Eastern Conference Semifinal (5 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV<\/a>). Yet it would undoubtedly represent sweet, sweet redemption were they to follow up their seizure of in-state bragging rights with a landmark victory over the Herons’ glitz and glamour.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve got ample reason for confidence, considering they\u2019ve smashed Inter Miami 3-0<\/a> and 6-1<\/a> in their two visits to southern Ohio since that pulsating Open Cup semifinal, and took a 0-0 draw<\/a> from their visit to Chase Stadium in July, a game that Messi, Jordi Alba<\/a> and the just-signed Rodrigo De Paul<\/a> sat out.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to play like we played against them in the first game at home; play with confidence,\u201d Cincy\u2019s star playmaker Evander<\/a> told This is MLS<\/a> during the international break. \u201cWe know who we\u2019re playing against, of course. We\u2019ve got to respect, but play our game and play with confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have space to play, we\u2019re going to have the possibilities of great plays, and it\u2019s going to be a totally different game than it was against Columbus. But we need to have in mind that it\u2019s going to be also a different game from the regular season, because it\u2019s playoffs now. The vibe is going to be there, more responsibility as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Time to shine<\/p>\n

While FCC took four points from six in their head-to-head meetings, the margin between these two Eastern Conference powers was razor-thin during the regular season. They finished dead-even at 65 points apiece, and with MLS using wins rather than goal differential as the first tiebreaker, Cincy edged into second place and thus get to host this weekend\u2019s clash.<\/p>\n

Crucially, the Knifey Lions take heart from the visceral power of their home faithful at TQL, one of the league\u2019s noisiest, most partisan venues, where the fans will propel their team onward and tend to live and die with every moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a two-way pressure: The pressure that they demand more from you, but also it\u2019s the good pressure that you have the supporters with you to win these kinds of games,\u201d said Evander. \u201cOf course, all of us need to believe more when we play at home, especially playoff time. These supporters want to go out there and support you, but also they want to see you win the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Orange & Blue partisans made their presence felt in the decisive Game 3 win<\/a> over Columbus, and with such strong local pride, Cincy is one spot where Miami\u2019s star power has less effect on the composition of the crowd. At least the weather seems to be breaking in the Floridians\u2019 direction, with clear conditions and relatively mild temperatures in the mid-50s Fahrenheit forecast for Sunday\u2019s kickoff.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, it’s the GOAT, Messi, all that. But I feel like when he comes to Cincinnati, it’s a bit different,\u201d goalkeeper Roman Celentano<\/a> said this week on a Club & Country<\/a> live show from US men\u2019s national team<\/a> camp in Tampa.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fans are there for us. It’s not really a Miami crowd. It’s more of a Cincinnati crowd. And I feel like our fans have shown out all season, but it’s going to be even more electric this Sunday coming up. So we’re buzzing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n GOAT status<\/p>\n

There\u2019s ample motivation on Miami\u2019s side, too.<\/p>\n

Messi has been a man possessed down the stretch, with an unreal 10 goals and eight assists across his last six games as he pursues MLS Cup hardware that\u2019s eluded him during his first two years in North America.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to congratulate Messi for the game he played. He was the first to lead our high press \u2013 seeing him press like that at (age) 38 is crazy. What he did tonight was truly impressive,\u201d head coach Javier Mascherano said after a 4-0 rout<\/a> of Nashville SC<\/a> clinched their advancement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of how we\u2019ve reached this point in the season. We\u2019ve gone through a lot of wear and tear, we\u2019ve been playing for a long time, and I see the players enjoying themselves. I see smiles, and that\u2019s the best way to experience football. Tactics and style come second when you see that joy. They\u2019re in a good place, living it naturally. There are also some players who won\u2019t be here next season, yet the atmosphere remains excellent. And that\u2019s exactly what we need to keep building on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Miami’s motivation<\/p>\n

The Herons are also playing to prolong the final days of Messi’s illustrious FC Barcelona teammates Alba and Sergio Busquets<\/a>, who are retiring at the end of the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cSooner or later, it’s going to happen. I\u2019m enjoying every moment,\u201d Busquets told reporters with a smile in Spanish on Thursday. \u201cTwo weeks ago, it could have happened [vs. Nashville]; we stretched it out a little longer. I hope this keeps happening and nothing can go wrong until the end.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like always, I’m calm with everyone there. We\u2019re united.\u201d<\/p>\n

This month\u2019s FIFA window has provided both sides time to rest and prepare after their Round One series ran a full three matches, with the likes of Obinna Nwobodo<\/a> and Matt Miazga<\/a> working back towards full fitness. A knee injury to Ender Echenique<\/a> with Venezuela has complicated life for Noonan, though, with the in-form winger\u2019s status said to be day-to-day and his availability likely a game-time decision.<\/p>\n

Every detail could matter in a matchup that appears quite likely to be decided by small margins.<\/p>\n

\u201cA very difficult match. They are very strong at home; they’ve been doing very well there for several years,\u201d said Busquets of Cincy. \u201cThey have a very unique system with great players, and it’s going to be a challenge for us to play away.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even though the question touched on tender old scar tissue, FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan was a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56455,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[27885,17158,5429,12629,123,125,124,5426,9596,4959],"class_list":["post-56454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-cinvsmia-11-23-2025","tag-fc-cincinnati","tag-inter-miami-cf","tag-match-previews","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-mls-cup-playoffs","tag-national-writer-charles-boehm","tag-sendtonews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56454"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56454\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}